Nicknamed "Sarko" by the Right, Nicolas Sarkozy won the French presidential election Sunday night over socialist Segolene Royal. In today's New York Post Ralph Peters writes: "Nicolas Sarkozy, the president the people defiantly chose, is the most inspiring French leader since Charles de Gaulle's fall from power 40 years ago." Um Ralph, inspiring French leader? I thought he was still president-elect but no matter, the Right has a full-blown case of Sarkastic Priapism (you know, it won't go down in 4 hours so see a doctor). Peters then quotes Sarko and this chestnut: "It is hard to exaggerate the damage done to France by the 35-hour work week. How can anyone think that you're going to create wealth and jobs by working less?" Almost echoing this verbatim the Post editorial itself (May 8) says: "He (Sarko) says, rightly, that France's 35-hour work week has devastated the economy - producing a nation of slouchers" (emphasis mine). So, if you decide to work 9-4:30 everyday, that's seven hours of work minus, say, a half hour for lunch, for five days out of seven, you're a sloucher ruining your nation's economy. You see Beth, it's not just conspiratorial thinking on my part, Republicans really do get off on work and invalidate those, like their more religious-minded conservative brethren, who rightly point out that overwork is now the leading cause of divorce in the U.S. The materialistic secular conservatives, whom Bill O'Reilly never mentions, now rule the party and the more social conservatives are the only members of their own party that take that Darn Book too seriously, that work is a punishment from God for the original defiance of Adam, and you're not supposed to enjoy it that much, it's a little weird and not normal.
Beth, the more I listen to the Right these days the less I like the Right. I'm moving out of the Macabre House on the Right, maybe become a political recluse who never votes. Where do I belong?
You may be right about the right. I mean about the right's leadership, because I still maintain that I know a lot of Republicans personally who are caring individuals, and some are business owners who are not evil. I don't fall into the party line with Rudy Guilliani.
ReplyDeleteI don't get the work thing though. Unless you're a sculptor or an artist of some sort I mean who's really that into it? Even on my best days at work where it was tolerable and even satisfying to some degree there is always something else you could be doing,
ReplyDeletelike blogging.
Or reading good blogs...
ReplyDeleteI once knew this deli manager who was really into his job, he took it way too seriously, and I'm thinking "hey dude, it's only cold cuts". There is only so much intrinsic interest in baloney and ham. I myself am a creative person and no job really suits me, I find most of them stifling and unfulfilling. I don't get bosses who make you work 6 days a week instead of giving you 2 days off which used to be traditional. You do have a life, relationships to cultivate, things to do with your family, communing with your God, bills to pay and appointments to meet. Your boss acts like you were born to work. As a friend said to me once we are all drones. Try telling this to Sarko, I find him a little scary like something out of "1984"...you will learn to love work, you will learn to love work, you will learn to love work. I don't define my life by my career and don't understand our cultural emphasis on such.
ReplyDeleteAs they say, nobody on their deathbed wishes they had worked more.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, work is a necessary evil, you gotta eat after all and I don't want to grow my own food and slaughter my own pigs. But there is much better things in life to actually DO.
Neil Boortz of the Church of the Painful Truth has said those who think they're gonna be rich by working massive overtime every week are just deluding themselves. One thing's for sure, Uncle Sam's cut is bigger the more you make. If the income tax were completely eliminated tomorrow working so much might start to make sense. As it is now the system is rigged, the income tax is like if you're driving a car with a governor on your carb and you can't go that fast. You're right Beth, much better things to do in life than work all the time. Get rid of the tax and we'll get back to this discussion.
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